File I-485 on my own or with attorney? I-485 per family or per person?

A

aelwany

New Member
Hi,

I am a faculty member at Texas A&M University, and have just got approval to apply for I-485 (My employer petitioned for me under EB1 category which just got approved).

My questions:
1. The last step remaining, applying for I-485, seems straight forward. Is it safe to do it on my own, or do you highly recommend having an attorney do it? I got a few attorney quotes, and they were about $1300! Does this sound right?

2. The fees for applying for I-485 --> I am applying for myself AND my spouse (who is currently on F-1). The USCIS fees for I-485 is about $1070. Will this be for both of us, as a family, or will we have to pay $1070 per person? Do we need one application for both of us, or a separate application for each??

3. I have our birth certificate and marriage certificate translater by a sworn translator in my home country. However, the translation has not been "legalized" by the US embassy. Is this a must? I heard it suffices to just get a signed statement from a person who speaks both languages attesting that the translation is true. Is there a specific form for this?

Thank you very much
Alaa Elwany
 
1. Many charge more than $1300. But it's usually not necessary to use an attorney for I-485 filing if you don't have complications like a criminal record or immigration violations or are seeking a green card based on an obscure part of the law.

If you want to use an attorney, you can ask for a cheaper option -- a one-time consultation to review your paperwork after you've completed it to the best of your ability, then you make the corrections (if needed) and submit the papers yourself. That should cost less than $500.

2. It's $1070 per person, separate I-485 for each person (and also separate I-131, I-765 etc.).

3. The translation doesn't have to be "legalized" by the US embassy or any other US government agency. The translation you already have should be sufficient unless it's from a close relative. Remember you have to submit a copy of both the untranslated version and the translation.
 
Thanks a lot Jackolantern,

Your input is very reasonable and extremely helpful. I appreciate your time.

Best,
Alaa
 
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